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[[Category:Confident Readers|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|Confident Readers]]==Confident readers==__NOTOC__{{newreview|author=Lynne Reid Banks|title=I, Houdini|rating=4|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Houdini is not your usual, commonplace hamster. Oh no, he is a hamster on a mission, a mission to escape<! From his very first glorious taste of freedom he spends his life inventing ways to escape and scurrying away (usually straight into a heap of trouble) at every possible opportunity. This is his tale, related entirely from his own, rather conceited, point of view.|amazonuk=<amazonuk-- Remove -->0007341539</amazonuk>}} {{newreviewFrontpage|author=Andrew Matthews and Tony RossMax Boucherat|title=The Merchant Of Venice (Shakespeare Stories)Last Life of Lori Mills
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=BassanioWe meet Lori on the first evening she's got the hots for Portiahouse to herself – no neighbour to pop in, babysitter poorly, and she for him. His friendmother at work, Antoniojust an avidly rule-breaking eleven year old, borrows money from Shylock so Bassanio can woo on herlonesome. Antonio What could possibly go wrong? Snuggled in a blanket fort, she has one main intention, and that is usually wellto log on to Voxminer, the world-offbuilding, but all his money critter-collecting game that is tied up with his ships at the momenta hit in Lori's world. Due to past rivalries, Shylock demands But first Lori has a tiny inkling that Antonio pay him back with a pound of flesh if he canthis stormy night doesn't come find herself entirely on her own, and then she finds something even more spooky. For the server she and her bestie and nobody else should be able to enter shows signs of tampering. When malevolent eyes spark up with on her phone screen, and her safe place in the money. Meanwhilegame has been doctored – well, Portia where is putting various suitors a girl to the test. As someone wise once said elsewhere, the course of true love never did run smooth.turn?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1408305046</amazonuk>0008666482
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Gabrielle LordKieran Larwood and Joe Todd-Stanton|title=April (Conspiracy 365)Dungeon Runners: Hero Trial
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=When Halo Meet Kit. Like most of the people in his world, it seems, he is an avid fan of Dungeon Running – the sport where a babyteam of warrior, a centaur finds her crawling up a beachmage and healer enter specially prepared, century-old, magical mazes, and race to the sole survivor of a shipwreck. This scene showsexit, right from perhaps bothering with the first page, treasure or the courage big bad and determination which characterise her during the course points they grant you along the way. Unfortunately for Kit, the only thing he's seen of this book. No the latest race on the inn TV equivalent is that one team has any idea who this human child isbeen retired, eaten, but the golden owl amulet and the curious tattoo on her forehead suggest she a new trio of questors is specialneeded. She is adopted by Possibly very unfortunately indeed for Kit, he has taken to the family and for ten years she and her centaur brother Arko lead an idyllic life on goading from the island token bully of Zakynthos. But ten years later Halo is kidnapped by fishermen his world and sold stumbled into slavery. She escapes and disguises herself declaring he'll enter as a boy because as a girl she can have little or no respect, and no freedom of actionteam. Still disguised as a boy she lives with the Spartans What chance does this friendless, falls muscle-free-zone have in loveactually managing that, and is given clues how could he possibly hope to her true identity by the famous Oracle at Delphi.succeed?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0141328304</amazonuk>1839945184
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Philip ArdaghJames Sherwood Metts|title=Trick Eggs and Rubber Chickens: Grubtown Tales Planet Storyland
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=If you haven't Things have been to Grubtown before, then feel welcomea bit sticky for the Earthlings. As newly arrived lorry driver John Jones finds outAI and automation have been proceeding apace, itoften replacing jobs they's a place of exceedingly silly names for people – Blue-Ridge Handheld my favourite so far – re paid to do and exceedingly silly things happening for exceedingly silly reasonsother tasks that took time to accomplish. One of those silly things is John Jones arriving into town with a giant octopus on the back Just as they were beginning to get used to all this technological change and starting to think of his lorry – a realother, live onenew ways to spend time, destined for the brand new aquarium along came an awful pandemic. Life was pretty much shut down and carwash. Another, coinciding, silly thingalong with it, is all the mayor having a huge festival day for the opening of his new home, many daily social interactions on which he has just finished knittingthey depend so heavily.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0571247938</amazonuk>1736128426
}}
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Boobela Will's life is difficult, in a girl who multitude of ways. He is just like any other little girlbullied because he has 'the wrong shoes', except he has the wrong shoes because his dad can't work and doesn't have enough money for even the fact that she isnmost basic of things like food, and his dad can't little work because he lost his job at the college, was working a cash- shein-hand job on a building site and had an accident. Throw into that mix the fact that his mum and dad are separated, and Will's life seems bleak in every direction. And yet, he still has a gianttiny amount of hope. Worm He is her best friend (good at art, and clings to the moments of joy when he actually is drawing, that feel like a worm) and he rides around in light at the end of a box she straps to her shoulder. This outing sees them visiting some underground caves and learning to surflong, amongst other adventuresdark tunnel.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1842556819</amazonuk>1398527122
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Sally Gardner1805141872|title=The Red NecklaceTeacher Who Knew Too Much|author=Rob Keeley
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Paris's streets 'Seventeen banks and a jeweller’s have been raided. The police are already humming with talk of revolutionbaffled, when but only Ben knows the young gypsy Yann Margoza truth – his Maths teacher, Miss Judson, is summoned to perform his magic at the chateau of really a selfishsafecracker! With police and her gangster boyfriend Al on their trail, debt-ridden marquise. He is to tell Miss Judson and Ben go on the assembled aristocracy their futurerun. But what he hoped would be the ticket to a better life turns into a nightmare when he has a vision of the richly-dressed crowd drowning in a sea of bloodAl needs them for one last job...|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842556347</amazonuk>}}''
}}
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=It's LondonLucas and his friends are all booked in for a movie marathon at their local cinema, 1886. A company building those new underground train tunnels finds a hidden vault at impossible depth - and seems to release into place that has the world nickname of 'The Lord of FliesBlack Hole'. A mysterious masked stage magician does the obviously impossible. All big movie fans, they're looking forward to lots of exciting films, and many, many snacks! A robotic killer stalks However, as the streetsmovie starts, they very quickly realise that something about this new film format is very different, and a street gang of ruffians-on-the-they are swept up decides to solve the mysteryinto an adventure they couldn't even imagine. A man in charge of Fortean artefacts at But as they lurch from one film genre to the British Museum has a new employernext, asking something much more evil from him. Surely all of that cannot be connected in some waycan they figure out what on earth is going on? Surely one book can not have all those dark and mysterious elements we can probably all recogniseWill they ever get back to the cinema, and put them into one period thriller without coming over as a horrendous porridge of parodyto their real lives?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0571237991</amazonuk>1839942738
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=David YellandAdam Stower|title=The Truth About Leo|rating=4|genre=Teens|summary=Leo lives inside his own head for much of the time. You can't really blame him. He's always tired for a start. That's because he's often up early, tidying up the house after one of his father's rampages. His father drinks too much, you see, Murray and sometimes he smashes up the house. Leo can't risk this being discovered because his father's the only person he's got since his mother died of cancer. He misses her like crazy, and he's afraid he'll be taken into care if anyone finds out about his dad's drinking. |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141330031</amazonuk>}} {{newreview|author=Richard Denning|title=Tomorrow's GuardianBun
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Eleven year old Tom Oakley thinks he's going mad when he seems Murray is supposed to relive short periods of his lifebe a humble, tidy and dreams about other people from different timesfriendly cat, one who is able to sleep and eat and eat and sleep and, well, whatever takes his fancy next of the two. The reality is far stranger – But he's a Walkerbad magician's cat, with so his favourite bun has been turned into a hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, and the power to rescue those he dreamed about. Travelling to the battle of Isandlwanacatflap they both use can chuck them out, not into the Great Fire of Londonregular back garden, and but into a German U-Boat, guided by the mysterious Professor, Tom saves the lives world of soldier Edward, servant Mary, frightening adventure and Able Seaman Charliewhiffs. This time round it drops them into a Viking land, who also have powers. There are otherswhere a troll hunter is expected – well, howeverone much bigger than Murray was, with similar powersto be honest, who aren't as pleasant as Tombut he's new friends – turned up and the four of them, allied with the Professor and his roguish helper Septimus, are pitched into a battle he'll have to save the worlds. That's intentionally plural – there are two parallel universes at stake here.do…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1445251388</amazonuk>0008561249
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Steve VoakeAlex Bell and Tim McDonagh|title=Hooey Higgins and the SharkThe Glorious Race of Magical Beasts
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=A shark has been spotted Eli is a busy lad – by day an apprentice in the wondrous library we start by visiting with him, and in Shrimpton-on-Sea's bay. The local chocolate shop has the evening a mahousive egg for sale for £65. Hooey Higgins decides to capture helper at the former so he can charge admission dessert cafe his gran owns and buy runs. Eli lives with his lovely gran, too – for there is a generation missing in the latterfamily. He A few short years ago, Eli's helped out on his adventures by Twig and Willparents were both lost to the titular race, whilst they a globe-trotting adventure where all entrants have to navigate the world in the company of a magical beast. This has made the race anathema to the pair – but when a bad incident at the eatery leads to a confession from gran, Eli knows his only hope they won't fall foul is to dare to enter what he most hates, with the sole aim the prize of magic at the end – the big bully Basboonly thing to possibly save his gran.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1406322342</amazonuk>0571382231
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Kate MaryonHelen Cooper|title=Shine|rating=4|genre=Confident Readers|summary=''You and me, Mum, you and me.'' Twelve-year-old Tiff and her mother are a double act. They're so close that they're almost more like sisters than mother and daughter. They both like shiny, girly, things, and Tiff's mum seemingly has an endless supply The Taming of new, ever more glamorous baubles for them to share. There's only one problem: how she comes by them. Because Tiff's mum has rather sticky fingers. She shoplifts. She defrauds credit cards. She's very naughty and sometimes it makes Tiff feel rather uncomfortable. She knows deep down that it can't last. |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007326270</amazonuk>}} {{newreview|author=Anthony McGowan|title=Einstein's Underpants - And How They Saved The Worldthe Cat|rating=43.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=A delightfully silly school cum sciOnce again, mice are pitched against cat. In this case, principally, we have Brie the mouse, up against Gorgonzola the cat – and in case you're seeing a connection, they live in a cheese shop and therefore all the names used here seem to be the names of cheeses. Anyway, Brie is shunned, scorned and, if you must, mous-fi romp tracised, for confident readers, the way his habits don't match the other mice he lives with plenty of pants. They nibble up paper wrapping from the cheese for bedding – he displays it as art and makes stories based on the visuals on it. And that story-based humourtelling will come in handy one night, when he feels all alone and cast out. It's almost as if there were another character from fable who had had to tell stories to keep themselves alive. This makes Brie the top dog in the mouse community, though, but never at as all the others had the chance to half-inch some cheese while the expense of a rollicking good readcat was distracted. But will the story have the successful sequel it needs when that cheese runs out?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0440869242</amazonuk>0571376010
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Alec SillifantLauren St John|title=Jake Highfield: Chaos UnleashedFinding Wonder
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=WhatRoo's this that Jake is doing - breaking into a building? life has become almost impossibly difficult. Vandalising it with graffitiHer mum died when she was young, having ruined someone's privacy and infiltrated something he shouldn't have done? Three years ago he would have been doing this as a yobbish kick, but now he's a teenage agent she finds herself awoken in the middle of a shadowy organisation called the Academy, and people want him night by the police banging on her door to succeed in tell her that her dad has dropped dead on his missionway to the corner shop to buy a lottery ticket. But do they all want that? Who are his taskmasters after all? And When asked what does the Void have in store for his future?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845393481</amazonuk>}} {{newreview|author=Garth Edwards|title=Shipwrecked (The Adventures other family she has, she can only name her aunt, Joni, who she knows her dad didn't think very highly of Titch and Mitch)|rating=3.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Titch and Mitch are two little pixies who have run away from home. Through a series of misadventures they find themselves shipwrecked on an islandBut she has no one else, and the story revolves around them making new friends thereso off she goes to live with her unreliable aunt. They come Things continue to get worse for Roo, as when she and Joni leave London in Joni's old campervan, it breaks down in the rescue middle of a strange coloured seagull, they save a trapped fairy, they play dentist for a little dragon mouse nowhere and they aid and abet an intelligent turkey who is trying to escape from the turkey farm.then bursts into flames! Poor Roo!|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0956231500</amazonuk>0571376169
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Steve VoakeAdam Baron and Benji Davies|title=FightbackOscar's Lion|rating=3.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Meet Kier. A smartWe start incredibly bluntly, yet lonely, young teen, he's been farmed off with Oscar hoping to a private school by have his dad since mother died. Among his achievements are several successes on the karate mat– or father, but all this mother is about more likely – read him his very favourite book a couple of times before he has to changebe ready for school. When But when he enters his father parents' bedroom, all he sees is rammed off a motorway mahoosive male lion on their bed, looking sheepish, and murdered, Kier finds admitting that hewon's even more alone, and duty-bound t be hungry for another two days. But there are benefits to having a lion around – it can be shown as an unspoken threat to fight even morethe bully that ruined a birthday party for Oscar the other month. And it can shapeshift, when so he gets clues can take it to school and it can get him out of a problem. And it's wonderful to just who have around the house – not limiting his father might have beenbiscuit intake, being much more lax about the rules, and how to go about responding to his deathso on. OK, it can't work a dimmer switch but it can give Oscar a wonderful time.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0571230032</amazonuk>0008596751
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=John GordonJudith Eagle|title=Fen RunnersThe Stolen Songbird
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Years ago, a boy fell through the ice under CottleCaro's Bridge. He said afterwards that something pulled himmother, a sleek silvery creature dragging him down into the blacknessworld-famous whistler, has failed to return home from her recent work trip abroad and is now missing. Now Her other mother, decades laterRonnie, two boys is having to go swimming up North to take care of her sister who is unwell. So who is going to look after Caro? Sent to stay with Gam, someone Caro has heard her mother despises, she feels frustrated and confused and worried. All her summer holiday plans of building herself some equipment to practise her gymnastics are brought to a halt whilst she is stuck inside this staid old Victorian lady's house, along with an orphan boy, Albie, who is living there too. But she soon finds herself caught up in the very same spot and find one a mystery, as she discovers a painting of his ice skatesa bird hidden away inside her mum's old suitcase, and all across London a so-fearsome gang called fen runner, buried in the mud at Snakes are thieving artworks and terrorising people. Is the bottom of painting somehow linked to the channel. But when they take it home, dark secrets begin gang? And what has happened to resurface around them and they become aware that an ancient evil is stirring out Caro's mother? Is she somehow involved in the fens.mystery too?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1842556843</amazonuk>0571363148
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Sarah McConnell and Lucy Courtenay Tania Unsworth|title=Swashbuckle School (Scarlet Silver)Nowhere Island
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Young Scarlet Silver had always wanted Meet Gil. Just twelve, he is so determined to be escape the care system – the system that constantly puts him in futureless places that are not homes – and find a pirate and eventually her wish came true home for himself. He is en route to yet another fosterer, when she he jumps into an anonymous car, and her family took lets it ride him to his future. That future seems to the high seas be in their pirate ship, 55 Ocean Drive. The problem was though jeopardy when someone steals his one bag of belongings – but that neither Scarlet nor anyone else someone lives with his brother in a camp on an island between the family knew how two directions of a motorway, a place inaccessible and definitely ignored enough to be a pirate provide for their safety and they soon discovered that it was quite a tricky businessseclusion. Scarlet became the self appointed captain and did her best but her parents Them, brother Cedric, grandfather and his mate One Eyed Jake formed a pretty inept crewmute girl also finding a home there, albeit so much more successfully. This resulted in them all soon falling foul to hostile pirate ships and narrowly escaping death and disaster! Over a few weeks we see if their oddball destinies can combine, or if this is one place where life as we would want it just would not work…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0340959673</amazonuk>1804540080
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Liz KesslerHelen Peters|title=Philippa Fisher Friends and the Dream Maker's Daughter Traitors|rating=3.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Since her fairy godsister Daisy went back to ATC - fairy high command - and moved on to other missionsEngland, Philippa Fisher has felt rather lonelyWW2. Her parents Two young girls are as oddball as evernew at the country pile called Stanbrook. One is Nancy, wandering through destined to be in service all her life with it seems, like the kind of benign muddleheadedness that makes them loveablefemale generations before her. The other is Sidney, but more than a tad inattentive. They haven't really picked up on the fact girl from a hoity-toity Sussex boarding school that Philippa's human best friend has moved been removed there away from bomber flight-paths. The girls are chalk and lost touchcheese, or that she hasnand if we hadn't yet found guessed that then their behaviour with each other over their first encounters would only prove it so. But something is amiss, and first separately and then in combination they realise the Lord Evesham must be a group rum 'un. Midnight deliveries are received under cover of secrecy, talk is made of friends at secondary school. She misses Daisy like madmeetings with Germans, and not only that, a local Spitfire factory has been attacked. But surely the girls are wrong, and the upper class could never be so underhand?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1842557831</amazonuk>1788004647
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Elise BroachJamie Littler|title=MasterpieceArkspire
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Marvin Two sisters, Juniper and his family Elodie, born fifteen minutes apart, are a kindly bunchgrowing to be chalk and cheese. Juniper is an eager hunter and trader in illicit magic, including relics from prior major wars left out in the Badlands. They Elodie is intent on getting closer to power in one of the religious districts of Arkspire, perhaps even get him to go down inside become the child in line to inherit the power of the Watcher, the bathroom sink drainpipe closest to retrieve a missing contact lensruler the district has, and one of the five major victors in said earlier war. This is not so difficult when you're a small kind Being trained in the magic that only five people can use would definitely change the status of beetle like Marvinthe whole family. But when they worry about the standard in finding something oddly magical, Juniper might just be able to gain some power of birthday presents given to Jamesher own – for good, or for very, very bad…|isbn=0241586143}}{{Frontpage|isbn=024162343X|title=Stolen History|author=Sathnam Sanghera|rating=5|genre=Children's Non-Fiction|summary=I was the boy bad company other people got into at school. I was disruptive in religious education classes because I disputed the existence of a 'god'. Where was the human family that have unwittingly fostered themproof? In history lessons, things get very unpredictableit was probably worse still. Marvin sees James being given a pen Not too long after the end of WWII, I didn't so much want to learn about the British army's successes (and ink sketching setoccasional failures, and when trying but we didn't dwell on those) in what came to deliver a special coin be called 'the colonies' as want to James, falls into making a sketch himself of dispute what right the view outside army had to be there in the windowfirst place. A sketch James could never have created Looking back, I still believe I was right - an ink masterwork but I regret that makes far too many adult human eyes bulge with surprise, delight - and possibly greedI lacked the maturity to approach 'the problem' politely. I wish I'd had Sathnam Sanghera's ''Stolen History''.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406321834</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Linda NewberyThiago de Moraes|title=LobOld Gods New Tricks
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Lob is a Green Man – an ancient nature spirit and garden helperMeet Trixie. Can you spot him hiding on the front cover of the book? Lucy believes in LobForever getting into scrapes, though her Mum larks and Dad tell her 'it's just Grandpa's story'. When Lucy finally manages to catch adventures involving flooding the school aircon with fart powder, she could almost be thought a fleeting glimpse young goddess of Lob, she is entranced and delighted to share Grandpa's secretnuisance. But just when Grandpa dies and his home is sold Lucy is heartbroken. She wonders if she will ever see Lob again. What follows is a journey through the seasons tracing Lucy's life after Grandpa's death and Lob's search to find a new garden home.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0385610815</amazonuk>}} {{newreview|author=Scott Westerfeld|title=Extras|rating=4.5|genre=Teens|summary=In being told that by her one-last-chance-giving headteacher, the future city of this book, many people live with what is called a reputation economyworld changes. With everybody Suddenly, practically everything electronic stops working – a cyborgpower-out, theyeven of electric cars, hits not just the town the school're online permanentlys in but the entire planet (apart from mobile phones, using optical and brain implants to see everybodyall that powers the Internet, just for our convenience's status, output and moresake). Many people Trixie, luckily, realises what has happened – the ancient Gods have hovercam companions, to make their own documentaries and film their own livestaken the power of power from us. They rely on metablogs And so she begins her epic quest, to interact and keep their popularity up. They continuously spread their opinions and interests gather all the people that can steal it back – namely the characters from myth that have past form in order to become more wellstealing from the Gods, ie the semi-known. A girl called Aya is struggling to get any renowndeities, but things changegiants, when she meets other people doing incredibly notorious things, but in complete secrecy half-gods and anonymityso on known as the tricksters.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1847389228</amazonuk>178845295X
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Emma ThompsonHannah Gold and Levi Pinfold|title=Nanny McPhee and the Big BangFinding Bear
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Mr and Mrs Green are a happily married couple[[The Last Bear by Hannah Gold|Last time]], living April had been on Bear Island, a farm with their three childrenlot further north than many people would venture, and finding a ridiculously unexpected but delightful friendship with a polar bear – that she called Bear. Back home, things on the start of the wardomestic and family front are a bit advanced, Mr Green goes off to fight leaving his wife, Isabelbut not perfect for her, and so can easily be ignored when word comes through from the children to fend for themselvesislands Bear was last left on. They are struggling to manage the upkeep of the farm For a bear doing very Bear-y things has been shot and it looks as if Isabel may have to sellwounded. To Desperate to make matters worsesure he's OK, she and her estranged sister sends her two very rich, very spoilt children to live on the farm father return to escape the bombs Arctic and hope that in Londona world of very white and very dangerous things, but they are immediately at loggerheads with their rather wild country cousins. They are fighting wildly, wreaking havoc she can find one specific white and destruction dangerous thing – and ignoring Isabel's pleas to stop when there is a sudden knock at the door from, of course, that the terrifyingly ugly, magical Nanny McPheefriendship can continue.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1408805014</amazonuk>0008582017
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Kate SaundersSimon Fox|title=BeswitchedDeadlock
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Flora Late one night Graham Blake is furious at being sent away to boarding schoollate back from his shift on the force, even one which is very progressive with luxurious facilities and school rock bands. Her parents need to sell her grandmother's house in Italy and build then suddenly rings Archie, demanding he fetch something from a granny flat at homesecret place, and Flora is resentful at having her life turned upside down for a grumpy, unpleasant old womanjoin him on the run. On the train They get together, she falls asleep and wakes up but barely begin to find herself in another era. Trendy 21st century Flora smell the whiff of Southern trains when the father is horrified arrested, leaving Archie on the late express to find herself in a hideous pinafore dress with Brighton, toting a childish haircut and no make up. What has happened tin his father was determined to her Ipodkeep away from his colleagues, mobile phone and brand new laptop?the bearer of a whole heap of questions.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1407108972</amazonuk>1839944420
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Jo NesboCath Howe|title=Doctor Proctor's Fart PowderMy Life on Fire|rating=45
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=LisaRen's best friend has moved awayfamily home is destroyed in a fire. The neighbourhood bullies She, her parents, Truls and Trym Trane, are causing havocher little brother lose everything. Her dad is getting ready for Norway She doesn's Independence Day celebrations. Oht have any of her clothes, or any of her special little knick-knacks from her cupboard, and therenow she is living at her grandmother's an anaconda on house where they can't touch anything, or do anything, or even eat the loose in foods they normally eat. When she goes back to school she discovers that the sewers. Then Nilly moves into her streetclass are doing a special art project, and the two creating boxes of their lives, to display things that are important to them meet Doctor Proctor and discover his amazing fart powdershow who they are as a person. But Ren has nothing to put in a box, and so she finds herself starting to steal things. Small things, things that people might not really miss, not when they have so much already. But what will happen to her if someone finds out what she is doing?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1847386539</amazonuk>1839942835
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=K A S QuinnRob Keeley|title=The Queen Must Die (Chronicles of the Tempus) Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=In this historical time-travelling extravaganza, Katie Berger-Jones-Burg (I know, it's a mouthful, but stay with me) Hooray! Bookbag favourite Rob Keeley is the daughter of Mimi, an ex-girl band member who has been married three times, so far, hence Katie's hyphenated name. Katie has come home from school to find that Mimi has gone off back with another man, Dr Fishberg, and as she begins a return to stress about the potential short story format! The Boy Who Disappeared treats us to eleven new addition to her surname she crawls into her hidey-hole space beneath her bed to escape for a little while. Here she keeps her diary and her stash of bookstales, and she curls up each as fun to read her latest book, a compilation of letters from Princess Alice, Queen Victoria's youngest daughter. She starts to feel a bit sleepy, but is suddenly startled awake by a flash of light. She finds herself in Victorian England, underneath a sofa and staring into the eyes of Princess Alice, who is just as startled as she ishis previous offerings.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1848873700</amazonuk>B0BVW69N1G
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Joanne OwenLaura Noakes|title=The Alchemist and the Angel|rating=4|genre=Confident Readers|summary=When Jan's parents die of the plague, he is sent to the great city of Vienna to live with his aunt and uncle. His uncle is Cosima Unfortunate Steals a distinguished alchemist, and, hoping to take the boy's mind off his grief, hires him as his apprentice. Jan loves the work, learns quickly, and soon the two of them are on the verge of perfecting a serum said to bring the dead back to life. But then his uncle is found dead, and Jan is being whisked off to Prague by his vain and calculating aunt. She has her own plans for the serum, and she will stop at nothing to accomplish them.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444001507</amazonuk>}} {{newreview|author=Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick |title=TimecatcherStar
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Jessie Minahan is a pretty average fictional twelve year old girl: she has a dog side-kick named Duff and she craves adventureMeet Number One. Or rather, Cosima Unfortunate. One day Or rather, when just Cos to her scatty mother has an urgent need for buttons Jessie discovers friends. The practice in the abandoned Dublin Button Factory home she lives in an old mill, now inhabited by two detectives, who have a big, big secret. She also meets G who is not your average fictional twelve year old boy - for onethe girls to just be named by the number they correspond to in the ledger, heand they's deadre all Unfortunates – young people with disabilities, uncommon mentalities or suchlike that Victorian society frowns greatly upon. His worst enemy is Greenwood – But Cosima bears the tag as a large ghost who lives in surname because nothing else seems to be known about where she came from, as the mill first ever inmate, and is full of rules. Greenwood is also involved unique in having no known family in this big secret which Jessie and G soon discover is the Timecatcheroutside world. It opens every seven years During a daring escapade to steal some posh cakes from the kitchen one afternoon, she discovers a plan involving said outside world – a devilish Lord Fitzroy seems to want to adopt all the girls for three days and reveals the past - 'shadow days' and 'shadow people'his Institute. It is about to open again But why, and there is a ghostly villain named Sullivan Ellz'mede who would do anything what does that body entail? And could it possibly bring Cos closer to have the power source at its heart... past she has so little link with?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1842556770</amazonuk>0008579059
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Philip ArdaghAlice M Ross|title=The Wrong End of the Dog (Grubtown Tales)Nowhere Thief
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=If you haven't been to Grubtown before, then feel welcome. It's an auspicious day for At last there is new stock in the impoverished yet over-full antiques shop Elsbeth and her mother run in a seaside town of grubby and inept people with names like Rambo Sanskrit, and Mango Claptrap, as well. For today is the day of film star Tawdrey Hipbone's gala charity premiereElsbeth knows this because she has stolen it. But there's She also knows she should be free from worries about being found out, because she has the ability to be no galaleave this world, and little charity eitheruse an unworldly portal of kaleidoscope colours to enter other worlds, when a pelican (where the sea levels are rising dramatically and not the town mascot either, but a different one) comes buildings are generally empty of humans and steals - yesripe for plunder. With eviction imminent, steals - can Elsbeth nab anything to actually generate custom at the beloved dog Snooks - shop? Well yes, Snooks - from where he was living is the fine life in Tawdrey's hair - yesanswer, hair.but the fact a mysterious man knows exactly which items come from these different Somewheres only raises more questions…|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>057124792X</amazonuk>1839943769
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=David GrimstoneNatasha Farrant|title=Gladiator Boy vs The Living DeadRescue of Ravenwood|rating=2.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=[[A Hero's Quest (Gladiator Boy) by David Grimstone|A Hero's Quest]] introduced us to Decimus Rex. This seventh book in story is another excellent adventure from the overall author of ''Gladiator BoyVoyage of the Sparrowhawk'' series (. Ravenwood is an old house, in the North of England, where Bea and start Raffy have been living for most of their lives. They are part of a new sub-series of 6) begins complex, extended family arrangement, as Bea is there with our heroher Uncle Leo, Decimus Rexand Raffy is there with his mum, and his friends they are living together as a family. They have grown up swimming in the cove, roaming through the trees, completely at one with all having received messages of the nature around the house and loving every inch of the place. But now the house is under threat, as Leo is under pressure from their former ally Teohis other two brothers to sell the property to a developer as it's becoming more and more expensive to maintain. I say former because The children find themselves worrying not only about where they all thought Teo was dead. They're all hoping against hope that Teo is really alivegoing to live, but thereif they's a nagging doubt that their nemesis Slavious Doom is setting a trap for them..ll even be together, and if Ravenwood itself will be torn down.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0340989270</amazonuk>0571348785
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Jenny ValentineRobin Birch and Jobe Anderson|title=Iggy and Me and the Happy BirthdaySecret Beast Club: The Unicorns of Silver Street|rating=54
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=OohJayden's nose is forever in a book, hooray! Iggy which means he knows a lot about mythological creatures – the phoenixes and Flo are back! We loved unicorns of the world, for example. Aisha is addicted to her new tablet, where she can see videos of anything that might be out there. The problem, as their [[Iggy and Me by Jenny Valentine|first outing]]mothers see it, just as we love all Jenny Valentineis that they are never 's books for older readers. Floout there's just your everyday run themselves, exploring the outside world of the mill eight year oldHackney, London. Iggy But when a narrowboat turns up carrying a science-minded, educational purpose, and with a past involving Jayden's cousin, they find a normal five year old (going on six)magical world they never knew existed. Iggy For many of those mythological creatures are real, including the one Aisha thinks she's seen on a funny little thingbit of local footage. The crew of the boat, Flo's sweet. They're sisters who do what sisters doincluding a living gargoyle, are tasked with saving the rare critters – and the kids unknowingly have the magical sight needed to join in a regular family. They learn to swim, Dare they fall illside with Leila, they make cakesthe woman on board, they ride bikes. They toddle along with life and have her relative who lives as a figure in a lovely time. painting, and become saviours of the unseen?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0007283636</amazonuk>0241573483
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Gene KempB09XWSXSKY|title=No Way OutMaestro Orpheus and the World Clock|author=Robert Penee and Joanne Grodzinski
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Alex and Adam are twinsFrederick (or Fred, but never Freddy, and theyplease) couldn're telepathic to boott sleep. They're very close A tune, but are also rather like chalk the ticking of a clock was playing over and cheese: Adam's looking forward over in his mind. It happened every time he came to their holiday on Uncle Ben and Aunt Sadie's farm, but Alex canvisit his grandfather. He hadn't think of anything worse. Adam is always happy really wanted to read to their little sister Emmycome; after all, but Alex resents the attention she gets (shehe's disabled, y'see). By ten now and large, they're just ordinary kids, with ordinary grumbles. When the car they're in goes through thick fog and crashes, they find themselves in a town from times past, with inhabitants who all those old clocks don't want appeal to let them leave, and who have an eye on Emmyhim anymore.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571244556</amazonuk>}}
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Marcus SedgwickNigel Baines|title=Lunatics and Luck (Raven Mysteries)A Tricky Kind of Magic
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Emerging Readers|summary=It's obvious reallyCooper loves to perform magic tricks. When an earthquake hits Castle Otherhand, ValevineHis father was a magician, and named Cooper after the head of the householdgreat Tommy Cooper. But sadly Cooper's father died suddenly, decides what the place needs is a machine and now Cooper doesn't quite know who to predict the futurebe, and a new tutor for his two oldest childrenor how to be. And why not? There are only those childrenwhen his dad's prop rabbit starts talking to him, the suicidal baby twins, Valevinehe ''really'' doesn't know what's dreadful failed inventions and experiments, Edgar the raven that narrates this series of books, and a monkey. With bells going on. Clearly there is not enough weirdness there already to go around.anymore!|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1842556959</amazonuk>1444960261
}}
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